When it comes to walk-off wins, nobody in the American League does it better than the Indians. Activated off the disabled list just hours before first pitch Friday, outfielder David Murphy couldn't have had a better first at-bat back. Deadlocked with Chicago in a 1-1 tie in the 10th, Murphy notched a pinch-hit game winning single to center off reliever Maikel Cleto, edging the Tribe over the ChiSox, 2-1 in the series opener.

With baseball AND football on tap for the weekend, this has to be considered the best time of the year! In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on Ron Washington announcing his resignation, two GMs learn their fate for next season while a decision on a third could come soon, the Blue Jays lose a key player for the remainder of the season, and more.

Detroit's hitters didn't bother to take much time to congratulate new father Josh Tomlin on Thursday night as they tagged him for five runs in a seven-run 11th inning, which allowed the Tigers to clinch the series win with an 11-4 victory. Trevor Bauer's first-inning struggles also continued as he allowed four runs to start the game before settling in. Join the IBI's Jake Dungan as he gives his thoughts on the loss.

For the second straight night, the Indians blanked Detroit through nine innings of play Thursday. There's just one problem. The game went 11 innings, and two of the innings combined to result in 11 runs for the surging Tigers. Deadlocked in a 4-4 tie in extras, Motown scored seven runs on five hits in the 11th, rallying them to an easy 11-4 victory in the series finale.

Yankees star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka's season may not be done just yet. He is expected to throw a bullpen session this weekend and manager Joe Girardi maintains that he will pitch again this season. The IBI's Jay Frierson provides the update on Tanaka, surgery on the horizon for Homer Bailey, and more...

It would have been a disaster if the Indians were swept in this series. They would have been behind as much as seven games in the Wild Card race, which would have put the playoffs almost entirely out of reach. Winning at least one game was an absolute necessity, and now the Indians have done just that thanks to the arm of Danny Salazar and a surge offensively. The IBI's Michael Goodman provides his second thoughts on the big win for the Indians...

Danny Salazar was the headliner of the night with his dominant performance against the Tigers on Wednesday at Progressive Field. The IBI's Jay Frierson recaps the news and notes from Wednesday and notes a new contract for Rockies lefty Jorge De La Rosa, some injury notes around the league and more.

Six weeks ago Danny Salazar was wearing a Columbus Clippers uniform, pitching in Triple-A after a disappointing first two months of the season in the big leagues. He's since returned to the majors and hasn't missed a beat. Wednesday night against Detroit proved to be the right-hander's best start yet, hurling his first complete game shutout to help the Indians blank their division rivals, 7-0. Join IBI Tribe beat reporter Jim Berdysz as he recaps the win from the ballpark.

A few months back the IBI's Jeff Ellis brought up what was then a more controversial view that the Indians should strongly look to trade Lonnie Chisenhall. At the time Chisenhall still looked like a breakout candidate and was not that far removed from being a potential all-star, but he held by the numbers which showed he was in for a massive regression, which we are seeing now. He looks into why the Indians should consider trading him and what they do with his spot in the lineup.

Outfielder David Murphy appears to be close to returning to action with the Indians in Cleveland but first will be tested in a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Columbus. The IBI's Tony Lastoria notes his plan of attack on his rehab assignment and provides all the other news around the MLB on the day.

Coming into 2014, J.D. Martinez hit a combined 18 home runs over the last two years with the Houston Astros. He's already slugged 19 this season now as a member of the Detroit Tigers. And his last homer Tuesday night was his biggest one yet. Trailing the Tribe by one in the ninth, the Tigers left fielder took closer Cody Allen deep for a three-run homer, helping Motown comeback to stun the Indians, 4-2.

Though there have been ups and downs this season, Cleveland's 70-65 record has them on the fringes of playoff contention and in the thick of things as the calendar turns to September. Despite some definite disappointments, there are still plenty of bright spots on the team this season. Join Jim Piascik as he once again ranks the major league roster as Cleveland heads into the stretch run.

This game was about as ugly as they get. The team was coming off an outstanding series against the Royals, possibly the hottest team in the Majors in the month of August, so this game certainly came out of nowhere. The Indians have gone to the bullpen early over the last month very few times. This time it was Corey Kluber who failed to get through the third inning, as unbelievable as that is to say. The IBI's Michael Goodman shares his second thoughts on a disappointing start to a big series for the Indians...

The last time David Price took the mound at Progressive Field, he was spraying silly string on his teammates as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays in October. On Monday, he just made the Indians offense look silly. Scoring 12 runs on 20 hits, division rival Detroit routed the Tribe, 12-1 in the first game of a four-game series. Join IBI Indians beat reporter Jim Berdysz as he recaps the game from the ballpark.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Now, it's back into the swing of things. In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the Astros announcing the firing of their manager and bench coach, Jesus Montero receives discipline for his recent scuffle, where Hanley Ramirez could land in free agency this offseason, and more.

Though there have been ups and downs this season, Cleveland's 70-64 record has them on the fringes of playoff contention and in the thick of things as the calendar turns to September. Despite some definite disappointments, there are still plenty of bright spots on the team this season. Join Jim Piascik as he once again ranks the major league roster as Cleveland heads into the stretch run.

The August trade deadline has now come and passed. In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andy Nichols will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the A's acquiring Adam Dunn from the White Sox, the Brewers bolstering their bullpen, and more.

The stretch run in 2013 that propelled the Cleveland Indians into the playoffs was a stretch of a remarkably easy strength of schedule. When Cleveland defeated Kansas City in Kauffman Stadium on Saturday ensuring a series win against the AL Central, the narrative changed. With a bullpen that allowed two runs in 5.1 innings, the IBI's John Grimm examines how the bullpen has reached its current zenith as one of the best pens in the game.

For the first time in 2014, Cleveland finds itself five games over .500, as the Indians took the first game of a critical road series in Kansas City. With the last three innings imperiled by rain, Salazar's effective if unorthodox night was cut short at five innings and 72 pitches. The IBI's John Grimm examines the peculiarities of Salazar's most bimodal pitch: the splitter.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!